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Very caring and considerate management. - Tomahawk Motel

Very caring and considerate management.

We got into Riverton a little later than expected and Main Street was closed for a local event. The owner was so friendly and gave great alternate directions via back roads. After a long drive on a very hot day we were looking for a few hours of relaxation before retiring. The room was nice but needed a little TLC. The carpets could be cleaned and the desk chair was cracked but all in all it was a comfortable room. We had planned to stay two nights and were up early in the morning to head out to the Grand Teton Mountain range. Sadly we encountered car problems and weren't able to make it back to the hotel and had to take our chances and drive back to our home in Minnesota. We called the front desk and explained the situation. Without hesitation the owner offered to refund our money for the second night. As we had left some of our belongings at the hotel, she agreed to ship them to us. We received our items back so quickly. I am completely amazed at the level of service we received. If we are ever in Wyoming again (to complete our planned vacation?) we will most definitely stay at the Tomahawk. Thank you so much for all you did for us. We appreciate you going above and beyond what other hotels would have done. (In fact the hotel we had reserved...We got into Riverton a little later than expected and Main Street was closed for a local event. The owner was so friendly and gave great alternate directions via back roads. After a long drive on a very hot day we were looking for a few hours of relaxation before retiring. The room was nice but needed a little TLC. The carpets could be cleaned and the desk chair was cracked but all in all it was a comfortable room. We had planned to stay two nights and were up early in the morning to head out to the Grand Teton Mountain range. Sadly we encountered car problems and weren't able to make it back to the hotel and had to take our chances and drive back to our home in Minnesota. We called the front desk and explained the situation. Without hesitation the owner offered to refund our money for the second night. As we had left some of our belongings at the hotel, she agreed to ship them to us. We received our items back so quickly. I am completely amazed at the level of service we received. If we are ever in Wyoming again (to complete our planned vacation?) we will most definitely stay at the Tomahawk. Thank you so much for all you did for us. We appreciate you going above and beyond what other hotels would have done. (In fact the hotel we had reserved for the night following charged us as we didn't cancel three days in advance.)More

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Stayed: July 2013

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Ask Kellipe about Tomahawk Motel

4 Thank Kellipe

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

I randomly came across this place when looking for a cheap place to stay in the area. I didn't expect much, and I ended up being impressed because of this. The room was decently clean, the staff was awesome, and they have kitty cats in the lobby! A decent place for what you pay for. Other than that, the "breakfast" was pretty lame, and there was no ice in the ice machine.

Room Tip: Discount at a local family restaurant when you show your bill from your room :)

Stayed: September 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask Kristen B about Tomahawk Motel

4 Thank Kristen B

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Very nice place with awesome owner,clean,comfortable in the enter of the town.If you plan visit Yellowstone np take in mind that location of this hotel is about 125 Km from park,there is no micro oven in the room,the breakfast is only coffee and some fruits

Room Tip: Check the room, because some of them is very dark.

Stayed: June 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask bora_bora_11 about Tomahawk Motel

3 Thank bora_bora_11

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

I won't write a review unless I'm terribly disappointed or extremely pleased. We had stayed at the Tomahawk years ago, when everything was in perfect condition; very clean, well kept, etc. On that note, we decided to book this July. The person at the front desk is VERY nice, quite accommodating and told us over the phone that they had just redone the motel. When we drove into the parking lot, there was trash, cleaning equipment (not in use), etc. You could tell instantly that the exterior had not had work and, in fact, had not even been kept up. Since we wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, we looked at our room and ....although it wasn't filthly....it was definitely not redone.... Plaster peeling from the walls, old curtains & bedspreads, frayed towels (very thin and worn), bent blinds, smelled old and smokey. I would definitely not this motel recommend it to anyone. They truly need to do what they've said they've already done.

Stayed: July 2008, traveled as a couple

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Ask letrbuck2016 about Tomahawk Motel

3 Thank letrbuck2016

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

SarahTheInnkeeper, Owner at Tomahawk Motel, responded to this reviewResponded May 11, 2012

I apologize if the motel appeared to be misrepresented. A full remodel was done in 2001. We strive to be accommodating of any guest & their issues.

Report response as inappropriateThank you. We appreciate your input.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

I had business in Riverton, and I knew from experience many of the national chain motels in Riverton are very high priced ($100.00 and higher per night) even in the off season or they are simply scruffy by a reasonable standard. Riverton is a pleasant town of 10 thousand people on your route to other tourist destinations such as Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, but it hardly warrants these high lodging prices. I also knew Riverton had three or four independent “Ma and Pa” motels which looked reasonably well from the street. I decided to try one: the Tomahawk Motel directly on Riverton’s Main Street. Built in 1965, it is not nationally affiliated with anybody, just locally owned and operated.

My requirements for lodging are three: 1) Am I physically safe? 2) Am I physically comfortable? and 3). Would a reasonable person conclude that I got what I paid for? With those in mind I tried the Tomahawk Motel.

I made my reservations telephonically and the very helpful and pleasant owner quoted me $55.00 (USD) per night AAA rate, queen bed, nonsmoking room. This was almost half of what the other chain motels were quoting me. I made a reservation for two nights at the Tomahawk Motel. I arrived on April 16th in the afternoon and immediately saw the motel’s exterior needed a thorough cleaning of accumulated dirt and wind-blown debris. The worn and broken lawn furniture for outside lounging just needed to get thrown away and the metal stairs to the second floor showed a lot of rust. (The motel does not have elevators.) In short the Motel’s exterior wasn’t giving me a welcome feeling. I also later found out the asphalt roofing kettle in the parking lot belonged to a roofing crew who were passing through that night. It had nothing to do with any motel roofing problems.

The flawless check-in and pleasant owner, who met me, began to remove my growing doubts about the property. (Her friendly cat gave me a pleasant welcome too.) I asked if I could see a room and she eagerly obliged. The room appeared to meet my standards. She gave me a metal key to my ground floor room. The Tomahawk wasn’t using coded card swipe locks, just regular keys. The door knob lock to my room was worn, and the key did not fit and work in the upper deadbolt lock. Once inside, however, I immediately saw the door did not have an inside security chain on the door. If the motel was not in small-town Wyoming not known for high crime, the lack of an inside security chain on the door would have been a deal-breaker and I would have left right then. The door’s deadbolt lock did work from the inside. But knowing the door did not have an inside security chain just didn’t give me a comfortable feeling.

Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised at the non-smoking queen bed room: reasonably spacious, very clean, neat, nothing worn or broken or in need of repair. The plumbing, sink, toilet, shower/bath all were in excellent repair and in fine working order. All appliances, TV, remote, lights worked well. The carpet was clean and not torn. The room did not smell. The room had a well-stocked coffee maker. However I do check beds for bedbugs and cleanliness of sheets and mattresses. No problems here. The mattress was a bit worn, but comfortable. The room’s easy chair was the most comfortable one I had sat in for years, clean, and not worn at all. The towels and washcloths were clean and not worn and reasonbly thick too.

However I did notice the room did not have a smoke detector. High on the wall a smoke detector was once installed, but someone had removed it.

The motel is directly on Riverton’s Main Street, with a very nice dinner restaurant across the street. The early evening traffic diminished noticeably and any street noise faded. The motel’s patrons were quiet and I didn’t hear any noise at all from any other room. I slept comfortably, but I confess the worn key lock and no door chain made me sleep with one ear and eye slightly on alert.

The motel does not have any continental breakfast, but Riverton has a full compliment of local restaurants and chain restaurants to serve you breakfast. You don’t have to drive far to get to these restaurants either. The motel’s parking lot gets a bit tight when full with automobiles and pickup trucks. Wyoming has lots of pickup trucks. So I had to back out carefully upon leaving for the day.

I finished my business early and planned to leave after just one night. My leaving early had nothing to do with any dissatisfaction with the lodging. Check out was flawless and when I told the pleasant owner that my room didn’t have a smoke detector she genuinely was shocked. She said she would fix that immediately.

In summary considering my three criteria: 1) Physically safe? Yes, in spite of the lock and security key situation, in small-town Wyoming I felt safe. If any other place, I would have immediately left the premises and gone elsewhere. 2) Physically comfortable? Yes, the room was very clean, very neat, very comfortable. 3) Would a reasonable person conclude I got what I paid for? Yes, the room rate was very reasonable, and I think I actually got more than I paid for. There is no sticker shock here.

There you have it. The Tomahawk Motel will suit your needs if you are traveling on a budget. With a little elbow grease and affordable effort on the exterior, the Tomahawk Motel would genuinely be a hidden gem. I return to the Tomahawk Motel because of its affordability and value, as the other local chain motels are just too high priced for what you get.

Stayed: April 2008, traveled solo

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Ask cav1865 about Tomahawk Motel

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

SarahTheInnkeeper, Owner at Tomahawk Motel, responded to this reviewResponded May 11, 2012

Thank you for giving us a chance & for an honest review. We appreciate constructive criticism & strive to improve the facility. The only thing I cant change is the Wyoming wind---which thwarts every attempt at electronic card locks (dust fouls the mechanism).

Report response as inappropriateThank you. We appreciate your input.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.